Alma Florence (Ball) Abernathy (1865 - 1978)

Born 7 Dec 1865 in Nulltown, Fayette, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 31 Jan 1978 at age 112 in Connersville, Fayette, Indiana, United States

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Biography

"From a Connersville News Examiner article dated Dec. 6, 1976: Mrs. Alma Abernathy, Fayette County's oldest resident and one of the oldest, perhaps the oldest living person in the state will observe her 111th birthday Tuesday at the Connersville Care Center, where she has resided for the past two years. Prior to that time, she lived with her foster daughter, Ruth Brown? and her husband Howard, 906 East? Twenty-third Street. When she was born December 7, 1865, our nation was still mourning the death of President Abraham Lincoln and was trying to heal the deep wounds of the Civil War, which had just ended. The attending physician at her birth, Dr. P. S. Silvey rode horseback to the modest home of Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis Ball, just east of Nulltown, hoping that he would reach the anxious couple before the stork arrived. Dr. Silvey and his faithful horse won the race and that night, little Miss Alma Ball became Fayette County's newest citizen. Today, as Mrs. Alma Abernathy, she is Fayette County's oldest and at 111 she may be Indiana's oldest. About everything in in Mrs. life except for her unusual age are typical of the average Fayette County farm family. For many years, she and her husband, Jesse Abernathy owned and operated a wheat threshing outfit. He died January 8, 1950. She has lived in Fayette County all her life except when she and her husband lived in Laurel for a few years in their early married life. Mrs. Abernathy had three brothers and four sisters, including a set of twin sisters. She also had one daughter and three sons, including twin sons Fred and Frank. Sher last surviving child, Fred died August 27, 1973 at the age of 81. All of her brothers and sisters and children are now deceased. Her eleven grandchildren include Adrian, Eugene and Leland Handley, Alberta Burns, Linda Rose, Carolyn Thompson, Mary K. Smith, Donald, Albert and Fred Abernathy, Jr. and Martha Moorman. Her descendants include sixteen great-grandchildren and thirteen great-great-grandchildren. She has been a member of the United Methodist Church for many, many years. She has enjoyed reasonably good health most of her life and has been an avid reader, with a keen interest in politics and keeping abreast of world affairs. In the past year or two she has been obliged to forego some of these pastimes."

• Fact: Residence (1880) Jennings, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Residence (1900) ED 11 Jennings Township, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Residence (1910) Columbia, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Residence (1920) Connersville, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Residence (1930) Columbia, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Residence (1935) Same House
• Fact: Residence (1940) Columbia Township, Fayette, Indiana, United States
• Fact: Burial (1978) Laurel, Franklin, Indiana, United States of America
• Fact: 111 yrs old at death

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 21 June 2018, 17:58), entry for Alma Ball(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:KLFQ-2ST); contributed by various users.
• https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36796699